My Silver Lining
by ManhattanWitch
Summary: ON HOLD You know that old saw, ‘every storm cloud has a silver lining’? Well, mine didn’t. Not for a long time, anyway. pairs HPDM, HGBZTN, GWLL, NLPadmaP
1. Chapter 1

My Silver Lining- a Dark Harry story.

Disclaimer- we all love J.K., but her story is always in need of a little tweaking. Don't worry, I am not, will not, and can not make any money off this story. The characters are all hers, yada yada ya… just enjoy, people!

WARNING- some of the events orders have been changed to suit my stories needs- please don't flame me about it. Also, this is one story that been brewing in my head for days, and is my baby. _No flames allowed. _ It might also take a while for me to update, as I am working on two other stories at the same time.

Now, on with the story:

You know that old saw, 'every storm cloud has a silver lining'? Well, mine didn't. Not for a long time, anyway. But before I go there, let me tell you a little about myself.

For most of my life, I had no idea that I was 'fated' to kill a Dark Lord. My magic was repressed by idiotic muggles with a superiority complex. I was beaten for the least infraction, and barely sustained on a starvation diet. Treated like an unpaid child laborer, I did everything I was told. Because who would stick up for me? My 'no-good' parents? They were dead. A social worker? Didn't have one. My friends? Didn't have any.

Then one morning my entire life changed. I'd received a letter in the mail, the first one I had ever gotten. But before I could open it, my uncle ripped it out of my hands and tore it up. He had thought that he'd put a stop to my oddity, my non-visible deformity. He hadn't counted on the persistence of my wizarding, well, family.

Eventually they gave in and sent me off. And my cloud grew a little lighter around the edges. I was baptized by fire into a world I had barely even dreamt about, one with goblins and dragons, intelligent animals, and freely used magic. But the most shocking thing was that I was famous. How could that have happened? I wondered as I followed that large man, Hagrid, through the alleys teeming with people. What did I, scrawny nobody that I was, do to earn the respect of people I hadn't even met?

It confused me until it was explained. I, as a year old babe, had defeated the 'Dark Lord', this 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. I wanted to ask how a people could fear a name, but decided not to. Instead, I focused on my status. Hero of the Wizarding World, indeed. How could I have done anything but drool when I was that young? It seemed to me that I was like a sandbar in the sea. Actively doing noting, I can still manage to destroy things far greater than myself.

Yet the attention was nice. I, starved for it as I was, basked in the fact that people were happy about my presence. And my happiness increased when Hagrid bought me Hedwig. Of course, she was not what I would have picked for myself (I had a thing for pythons), but she was, admittedly, beautiful.

Then I saw him, the boy who would one day become my greatest rival but was now nothing more than a potential friend. We talked a bit, but there are only two things I remember clearly. First was your name- Draco Malfoy. Second was the fact that you seemed like you could care less who I was, so long as I admired you. So I did. And I realized when I was looking you over, that you were my opposite. Blonde to my sable, silver to my green, pale to my tan, a bit chubby to my scarecrow frame. I wanted to be your friend, but you didn't ask, and I was too shy.

I left that store, frustrated. The only person I'd wanted to talk to all day hadn't done what I couldn't- make the first overture.

When I met the Weasley's, and Ron, I made friends with them, although their awe at a scar was annoying. And when you finally asked for my hand in friendship, I rejected you, to make you jealous.

When we were sorted, I fought as hard against being put in Slytherin, not because of the stories that had spewed out of Ron's mouth, but because you were there. Odd how easily children can be influenced, isn't it? When the hat shouted Gryffindor, I could care less about the fact that the people there were going nuts for me. All I wanted to see was your reaction, but I couldn't read anything on your face. Your mask was perfect; it had no flaws.

All of this came together and molded me into want I am now. My abusive childhood made me cynical, and my fame gave me power. I'd been forced into a friendship I hadn't really wanted, while the person I did became my greatest rival.

Then, still not understanding my role in the wizarding world, I was forced to kill a man who'd taught me all year, because he harbored the Dark Lord on his head. Second year, I had to kill a memory, and an animal I longed to talk to. Third year saw my only family escaping from wizarding jail, and just as we got to know each other, he was forced into hiding. In fourth year I was forced to participate in a dangerous, potentially fatal tournament that ended with a boy being killed, in fifth year my godfather died, and in sixth I almost killed Draco. I'd been surrounded for years with death and misery, all of it directed at me.

My very presence seemed to create havoc, and so I resolved to change, and it happened over the summer between sixth and seventh year. I came back to school a recluse, pushing away my friends, speaking only when spoken to. Sarcasm had become my native tongue. Neither my friends nor rivals knew how to react to this new, darker me. I left or ignored my friends when escape wasn't an option, and allowed insults to slide over me. I allowed nothing to affect me.

Looking back, I see that I was using this secluded nature I adopted to protect myself and my friends. I figured that if I allow nothing to affect me, then there will be no consequences to my actions. But this seclusion of mine had some pluses. I'd stopped obeying preferences that weren't my own, started wearing clothes that fit, in styles I liked. The first time Ron saw me in a Slytherin green tee-shirt, he gulped and walked away.

What did get their attention, and a reaction, was when they found out about my tattoo. It was an accident, I hadn't meant for them (of all people), to see it. The day they found out about it, she (my tattoo), was in her favorite position. As a magical tattoo, she could change he position to suit her mood, and that day she had been giving me her version of a hug. Her head was draped over my left shoulder, her body stretched along my back, wings primly tucked against her side. Her tail curved around my right side, slipping under my bellybutton to disappear into the jeans on my left hip.

I'd been getting changed in the bathroom of my dorm when the door slammed open and Ron came in. "Harry, I…" his voice trailed off as I cursed. "What is that, Harry?" he asked. I sarcastically replied, "Why, Ron, it's skin." But he wouldn't leave it.

Of course, if my tattoo had been any other color than Slytherin green with black wing membranes, spines and eyes, he probably would have left it. "Don't blow me off, mate. I know its skin, what I want to know is why you got it?" I sighed and said, "I got _her_ because I wanted her." He huffed and I lost control. "What, Ron?" I asked in a dangerous voice. "Are you afraid that I'm going over to the _Dark Side_?" He nodded, angrily. "You haven't talked to any of us in months, you're unpredictable and moody, and now you're turning into a, a Slytherin!" He shouted that last bit. Pissed, I pushed him to the door. "What, you think that just because you're my friend, you have the right to force your tastes and ideals off onto me? That just because I'm your _Golden Boy,_ your _Savior_, I can't be who I really am?"

I pushed him out of the door, ignoring the startled and scared looks of my other dorm mates. "Well, you don't have to worry about me any longer, Ron. From now on, I want nothing to do with you. With any of you, understand?" I added venomously, pinning the other boys with a stare. "If you can grow up and become men," something I couldn't begin to imagine, "then I'll talk to you. But until then, don't bother talking to me. You won't like the results." I went back into the bathroom and softly closed the door.

Five minutes later when I left, there was no one in the dorm. Gliding down the stairs to the common room, I wondered where they'd gone. Then I realized what happened when I entered said room. All conversation stopped, and a pathway opened between me and the door. I was halfway across the room when someone detached from the crowd. I stood in front of me, and I stopped. I stared at her, and she looked back, unflinching. There was a look in her eyes, one that suggested a kinship, that she knew what I was going through. With a smile, I gestured for her to go ahead of me. I opened the portrait and closed it behind us. Her presence, though I wouldn't admit it, was a comfort.

Halfway to the great hall for dinner, she stopped me with a softly spoken "Harry." I turned to her, and watched in surprise as she undid the buttons of her uniform shirt. I went to say something, but a flash of green on her shoulder stopped me. Withdrawing her right arm, she answered all the questions I had yet to ask. Wrapped around her shoulder and upper arm was a black snake with silver and green diamonds. Its head rested on her shoulder, its body wrapping towards her back then around her upper arm twice, ending with the tip of its tail pointing towards her elbow.

After a minute, she put her arm back in her shirt and re-did the buttons. When she was decent, I placed my arm around her shoulders. I had grown so much over the summer, and was well over six feet, that the top of her head came to my chin.

A comfortable fit.

We walked into the Great Hall like that and sat together, across from each other at the end of the table closest to the doors. It was amusing, for us, to see the rest of the Gryffindors avoid us as they came down for dinner. It was even more so when we saw that the cowards had left two seats empty between us and the rest of the clan. Apparently, we were now officially outcasts.

As the rest of the houses came in, they cast curious glances at our table. It was obvious that they wanted to know what was going on, but no one could think of a way to find out. I snorted; the gossip vine would be exploding soon enough. I looked at Hermione, and asked, "So what's the deal with you?" She put her finger to her mouth, and cast a charm. It would muffle our conversation. Then she sighed and said, "Well, for the past, I don't know, year, I've been getting fed up with the way people have been treating me, as though I was nothing more than a bossy know-it-all. But I'm not." We were silent for a minute, then she added, "And I'm also not perfect, not made to fit the Gryffindor mold." I nodded, understanding; after all, hadn't I broken out of the same mold so spectacularly? Hermione continued. "I used to try to fit in, but…" "But what?" I prompted her. "But, I fell in love."


	2. Chapter 2

My Silver Lining- a Dark Harry story.

**Disclaimer**- we all love J.K., but her story is always in need of a little tweaking. Don't worry, I am not, will not, and can not make any money off this story. The characters are all hers, yada yada ya… just enjoy, people!

**WARNING**- some of the events orders have been changed to suit my stories needs- please don't flame me about it. Also, this is one story that been brewing in my head for days, and is my baby. _No flames allowed. _It might also take a while for me to update, as I am working on two other stories at the same time.

Now, on with the story:

I stared at Hermione in surprise. When had she found the time to fall in love? My confused look must have been more visible than I had thought, for she smiled at me in understanding. "I know that it's kinda hard to understand, Harry. It took me a while to get used to the idea, too. Here, let me tell you."

I made to stop her; she didn't have to tell this to me. But she raised her hand and cut me off. "No, Harry. I want you to know, to understand." With a sigh, she began.

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"I'd had a crush on Blaize Zabini since the end of fifth year, but had expected it to disappear over the summer before sixth. Unfortunately, after running into said boy, I had realized that my hopes had been in vain. He was still as cute, and had gotten so tan and lean and muscular over the summer, that I couldn't help but blush when I saw him again.

It was a couple months into the school year when I noticed that Blaize and Theodore Nott where spending a lot of time together. A lot more time than simple friends would. It was slowly dawning on me that the two of them where lovers, and had been for apparently a very long time. You have no idea how embarrassed I was when I realized that. I had been lusting after a gay man, who was already in a relationship! I was mortified.

Christmas break was interesting, to say the least. The only Slytherins that had stayed behind were Blaize, Theodore, and Draco. And I had tried my hardest to stay away from temptation.

It didn't work.

I was cornered on my way to the Christmas Feast by Blaize and Theodore. They told me that they had noticed that I had been watching them, and they were curious. Eventually, they dragged the embarrassing confession that I liked Blaize from me. They grinned at each other, an expression I could not decipher. Theodore was the one to offer this proposition to me. Do you want to join our relationship?

I was astounded. I had been expecting anything from indignation to anger, but not a, a _ménage a trois!_ I stuttered, trying to find the right words- after all, I had never even considered having a relationship, just admiring from afar! They, my tormentors, took my inability to form a coherent sentence as a _yes!_ Which it was, I just couldn't say it.

The rest of that year was an interesting experience. The three of us hid in abandoned classrooms or hallways, and somehow managed to keep our relationship a secret. But then, something weird started happening. In Potions, Theo's ingredients would explode, and then reform instantaneously. Blaize started getting top marks in Transfiguration without cheating, and lights would flicker of go out when I entered a room, then come back brighter than before.

And it got worse. We couldn't be separated for more than a couple hours before we all got really big, really bad headaches. The end of school was a nightmare. Being home, hundreds of miles away from Blaize and Theo, was driving me nuts. Eventually, I firecalled Theo to see if it was as bad for him. He told me that he'd just been talking with Blaize earlier, and they both agreed that the headaches were the worst that they'd ever been.

We finally decided to meet Blaize in Rome- after all, if we were to be miserable, we would do it surrounded by beauty.

So I told my parents that I would be spending the rest of the summer with the Weasley's, and went to Rome. When I arrived, they were waiting for me. And then something amazing happened. My headache went completely away. And from the looks on their faces, their headaches were gone too.

The rest of the summer was spent getting to know each other, and on my part, trying to figure out why we were so attuned to each other. In the middle of August, I came across an old reference to an ancient magic, one so old that I don't think that even Dumbledore knows about it. It's a magic binding of three people into a complete whole, a stable, magical support system. Kind of like a stool that has three legs is sturdier than one with four legs.

The thing is, this magical thing multiplies our magic exponentially, and gives us a connection that can not be broken. Like we are connected telepathically, and can pull information out of each others heads. This is why Blaize was doing so well in Transfiguration. The book I found had a ritual we could attempt, one that would cement the connection. We decided to do it. And boy, the results were spectacular. Thank Godric that we were in a wizarding community, because they just assumed that a spell had gone wrong. It was amazing! I literally can not describe it.

Anyway, that's what happened, and why I don't fit into Gryffindor anymore."

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I stared at her in shock. Of all the things I had expected to hear, this was the last one! Hell, it hadn't even been on my _list._

With a jerk, I realized that we were alone in the Great Hall. And apparently had been for a long time. Hermione looked around, too, and then looked at me in bemusement. "I didn't think that the story would take this long to tell." I just laughed at her and said, "Is there anywhere we could go, and just, you know, talk?"

Hermione smiled. "Let's go to my room. As Head Girl, I get my own, although I have to share a common room with the Head Boy." I shrugged- like I cared? As long as I got to spend some quality time with my best friend, whom I had ignored for months, I couldn't care less.

We spent the walk to her rooms talking and catching up on the last few months. I felt really bad about how I had treated her, and told her so. She just shook her head and hugged me. "Don't worry- I understand."

"There is just one thing I want to know." I said to Hermione. She nodded, indicating I should go on. "Well, you said that this thing made you three immensely powerful. So, I was wondering, could you take out Voldemort for me?" I put on my most pitiful face, and she snorted in laughter, surprised. "No, Harry," she said with a smile, "we can't, but we will be of immense help."

Standing in front of her portrait, she cast a warning glare at me and said "Be nice. The Head Boy is Draco Malfoy." I shrugged again. I hadn't had much interaction with Draco since the last year, and honestly, if I had had to talk to him, it would have been great. Hermione just looked at me and snorted.

The portrait swung open, showing a large, comfortable room decorated in neutrals and mahogany. There were two portraits on either side of the room, one of an opera singer, the other of an empty beach. Pointing to that picture, Hermione said, "That's Draco's room, and the poor boy has to stand in front of his room for a while before the mermaid shows up to hear the password."

After giving the password, the portrait revealed a room with a hard wood floor. There was a full length mirror, a dresser, and (shock), a full sized bed done up with red sheets and a chocolate brown comforter. With a sigh, Hermione shucked off her shoes and jumped onto the bed. I sat gingerly on the edge, and she frowned at me. "Get comfy." She demanded. So I flopped back, kicked off my shoes and thunked my head into the small of her back.

Resting with her head pillowed on her arms, she asked, "So what do you want to know?" I gave a wicked chuckle as an idea came to me. "So, is the sex good?" Hermione's gasp of outrage and embarrassment was all I needed to hear. We spent the rest of the night like that, me trying to drag embarrassing confessions out of her, and her evading them.

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I woke up the next morning, slightly stiff and kinda cold. I knew where I was; that wasn't the problem. The problem was that I had no idea how I had gotten into the position I was in. My head was resting on Hermione's belly, my arm draped across her thighs, with her knee in my chest. My rumble of laughter woke her up. "You know, if I was straight, I bet I would be in a _lot_ of trouble with your boyfriends."

We both rolled out of bed, still chuckling. I cast _tempus_, and found out we had about half an hour before breakfast. With a sigh, I realized I would never make it to Gryffindor Tower, take a shower, get dressed and eat before class started. I had an idea- I called for Dobby. With a crack, the house-elf appeared. "How can Dobby help Master Harry?" the elf fawned. "Can you go to Gryffindor Tower and get me a clean uniform, please?" The elf got a big smile on his face, and "Of course, Master Harry!" and with a crack he was gone. Not ten seconds later, the house-elf reappeared with the requested items.

After reassuring the elf that no, I didn't need anything, I hopped into Hermione's shower. She'd already taken one, and was getting dressed as I cleaned up.

We left her room, me still teasing her and her playfully hitting me, when I saw Draco. He was immaculate, as always, and was talking to Blaize and Theodore. I stopped and stared at them, sure I was about to become little more than ground meat. Hermione noticed my sudden silence and her boys at the same time. She smiled, and flung herself at them, kissing them both on the cheeks. "Good morning!" she chirped happily. I warily waited as the four of them turned to me. Still wet from my shower, shirt untucked and misbuttoned, with my tie hanging haphazardly around my neck, I was less than presentable.

There was a tense moment, and then Theodore extended his hand to me. I took it, then shook Blaizes. That settled the tension. Draco asked Hermione a question about there Ancient Runes homework, and Blaize and Theo started talking about Quidditch. As I tucked in my shirt and fixed my tie, I added some comments, and by the time we were ready to leave, we were talking like old friends.

Halfway down the hallway, I felt two hands on my upper arms. Blaize and Theo slowed down, forcing me to do so as well. When Draco and Hermione were about twenty feet ahead, Blaize started talking. "Hermione is very special to us. We love her, and won't let anything hurt her." I stopped, insulted. "How dare you assume that I would do anything to hurt the only person I currently count as a friend?" They stepped back, nonplussed. I continued in a low voice. "Hermione is my best friend, and right now, the only person who I care about enough to give a shit for. So don't you dare imply that I would hurt her, in any way. Besides," I added in a blinding change of mood, "She loves you, and I'm gay. So you don't have to worry about me stealing her from you. Or you from her. " I grinned at them, and they smiled unsurely back.

Just then, I felt Hermione come up behind me, probably worried about an altercation.

"Don't worry, Hermione," I assured her, "I won't hurt your boyfriends,"

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Walking into the Great Hall was an experience. Well, look at it from their point of view. Three Slytherins and two Gryffindors, walking side by side, and talking and laughing as though old friends? Two of whom had been rivals the day before? The rest of the school must have been stunned by our arrival. We slowed as we neared the place were we separated form each other to go to our separate tables. Draco and I nodded to each other, and Hermione kissed both Blaize and Theo on the cheek.

At our table, we were, of course, sitting by ourselves. Not only had we been outcast, but we had now defected to the 'dark' side. Suddenly, a shadow fell across us. Looking up, I was surprised to see Neville standing near us. He was clutching his books nervously. "Can I sit with you?" I looked at Hermione, who nodded. "Sure." I scooted over to give him room.

Hermione and I shared a significant glance. Apparently, the Gryffindor mold was coming apart at the seams. It was as though we had become a third side, one where former rivals could mix. Though not originally my plan, it was one that would brew in the back of my head for days on end.


End file.
